Florida Board of Governors prohibits state funding toward DEI initiatives

[useapen]

The Florida Board of Governors voted Wednesday to prohibit state funding
to be used toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives,
including "political or social activism" activities on campus in a 15-2
vote.

The regulation prohibits state universities from using state or federal
funds to promote, support or maintain any programs or campus activities
that "advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion as defined in this
regulation; or promote or engage in political or social activism as
defined in this regulation."

The decision by the Florida Board of Governors, the 17-member governing
body for the State University System of Florida, will affect all public
universities in the state.

The vote is the latest decision to target DEI programming by the state.
Last week, the Florida Board of Education approved regulations that limit
public funding of programs, activities, and policies towards DEI
initiatives in public colleges.

The ruling comes almost a year after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed
Senate Bill 266, prohibiting universities from expending any state or
federal funds, regardless of source, to promote, support, or maintain any
programs or campus activities.

The regulation provides guidance on what amounts to advocacy of DEI, state
or federal funds; and will require institutions to designate an agent to
ensure they are observing the prohibited expenditure provisions of the
regulation.

DEI, as defined by the Boards' regulation, is "any program, campus
activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race,
color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and
promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the
basis of such classification."

The regulation also defines political or social activism as "any activity
organized with a purpose of effecting or preventing change to a government
policy, action, or function, or any activity intended to achieve a desired
result related to social issues, where the university endorses or promotes
a position in communications, advertisements, programs, or campus
activities."

DEI are initiatives rooted in the 1960s anti-discrimination legislative
movement that introduced laws to address labor issues based on protected
classes. Some of these laws include the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Age Discrimination in Employment
Act of 1967. DEI initiative efforts aim to further create equitable
workplaces and schools for underrepresented communities as defined by DEI
professionals.

DeSantis has spearheaded numerous efforts affecting DEI and education
around race in Florida. In 2021, DeSantis announced the Stop the Wrongs to
Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act, a bill that would have restricted
race-related curriculum in colleges and universities. The bill was blocked
by a federal judge in November 2022.

However, months later, DeSantis requested data from state universities and
colleges on courses and programs that include "diversity, equity and
inclusion" and "critical race theory.

The fate of DeSantis' legislation will be decided on a bench trial set for
October.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/florida-board-governors--state-funding-dei-
initiatives/story?id=106634715